I understand your passionate desire to secure a scholarship. I am here with a few points for you to consider while you work on your applications.
1. Be prepared for rejections. Many will come.
Most scholars who have been successful with many scholarships get baptised with many rejections. The initial rejections are to test you and see if you will give up. The guarantee is that you will secure a scholarship if you keep applying.
However, if you get discouraged and stop applying, the guarantee is that you will NOT get a scholarship. Keep applying.
2. Do not be discouraged by scholarships that have a caveat that you must return to your home country after graduation.
Please apply for every scholarship that takes you closer to your dream. My M.Sc scholarship expected me to return to Nigeria after graduation. I returned, got a job and worked to improve my skills in my field...
During the time I was working, I developed a solid research proposal which got me admissions in prestigious universities across the world. I finally got a PhD scholarship and travelled out. Who says you cannot get funding after returning to your home country?
If I did not return after my M.Sc, perhaps I could not have been exposed to the platform that gave me the insight of developing my research proposal. PLEASE APPLY FOR EVERY SCHOLARSHIP EVERYWHERE AND ANYWHERE.
It will get you closer to your dream. Your return to your home country is another stage of preparation for you. Utilise it massively. When you are ready, another scholarship of funding will come your way.
Keep this in mind as you set out on the scholarship search and application today.
Regards,
AAP
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I am still shocked that it is 15years already since you left me down here. How are you holding up and what is happening up there? It has been a crazy time for us this past year because of a deadly virus.
A lot of people died and the world is still suffering from it. At least you do not get to see all that now. I am sorry I always bring you bad news from down here even though I was hoping not to share any more bad news with you this year.
I am sure you, dad and step mum have all met up and perhaps living in the same house up there. I am sure God can organise that for you guys? Remember when I wrote you last year right?
Being a PhD student and new to the research life, the rigorous process of ethical application for a complex study like mine pushed me to my limits.
Although I had very supportive supervisors, they did not spare me in being critical of my work. In fact, my principal supervisor Dr @endinequity will say "Aaron sometimes it is best to be blunt with you about your work".
The bluntness sharpened me and made me more resilient. I took these comments with a smile because I knew it was for my own good.
I know you have been delayed by incessant ASUU strikes. I know you should have graduated by now but you are still stuck. While you feel down, I come with a few words that you can take note of:
1. You have not lost any time and you have not been delayed. This is the time to strengthen your skills.
Take up volunteering and internship positions while you are home and waiting to graduate. Remember that they will boost your CV and SOPs in the future.
2. Do not rush, we will not run out of international scholarships. They are always there for you. Make a deliberate list of the scholarships you want to apply for when you graduate.
Look at their eligibility criteria. What are they? Do they need IELTS, GRE, TOEFL?
Today, I offer you a few workable tips to assist you in the search for supervisors.
1. Go to the staff page within the department or school website and look up lecturers whose research interests align with yours.
2. Another trick is to use the search bar on the website and type in the key terms of your research or interest. E,g Professor in public health/accounting/English etc. You can then instinctively navigate the page through the results.